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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

How I Beat Severe Insomnia With Lightbox Therapy and Blue Blocker Glasses

Insomnia. Yeah, I've lived it. Tossing and turning till the wee hours of the morning. Or, drifting off just fine only to startle awake a few hours later, unable to fall back asleep. Then there were those waking nightmares where I'd run around the house ranting about this or that, with no memory of it by morning. And my absolute worst: night terrors and sleep paralysis so jarring that I thought I was having seizures. Clearly my brain signals were set to haywire at night and I was on the verge of full blown Narcolepsy. By day my short term memory grew terrifyingly short and my blood pressure dropped to 52 over 80. Something had to give.

So I did what people usually do in these situations. I saw a doctor. And she did what doctors usually do in these situations. She prescribed Ambien. I was a zombie on Ambien. Another dead end. Doctors couldn't help me and I knew it. I could only help myself. For weeks I immersed in journal abstracts, determined to solve this medical mystery myself.

The key to regulating Circadian Rhythms, and thus melatonin, is exposure to appropriate dark and light cycles. Our eyes need a certain amount light exposure during the day to properly regulate our sleep, mood, and hormones. Yet, modern life hides us inside buildings all day where the light exposure is equivalent to twilight. Then at night, when from a circadian perspective we should be winding down our light exposure, we stare at back-lit screens. No wonder our bodies have days and nights mixed up! Not to mention, prolonged sleep deprivation has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Not good. At all.

But alas, I did indeed find a solution to my dilemma in the medical journals. It is called Light Box Therapy and Blue Blocker Glasses. This system resets my circadian rhythms by exposing me daily to light when I most need light and by blocking blue light frequencies when exposure to them would disrupt my circadian rhythms.

LIGHT BOX TREATMENT

What was once thought of as only a treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder is now being researched for a range of conditions from insomnia, ADHD, Bipolar, Dementia, skin disorders, epilepsy, general depression, and fatigue.

This is the light box I use for insomnia.

I sit in front of this for 30 minutes every morning immediately upon waking up at 6:00 a.m. This signals to my body that it is morning, thus keeping my circadian rhythms on track for a 10:30 p.m. - 6:00 a.m. sleep cycle. I also use this for 20 minutes in mid-afternoon whenever I can.

Though I love my light, in retrospect I wish I'd bought one that functions more like a reading lamp.

That way I could do other things like read or use my computer rather than just stare into it.

If I miss a day of light my sleep is usually disrupted for two days since that's how long it takes to reset a circadian cycle.

There are many light boxes on the market and not all are created equal. I chose the Nature Bright Sun Touch because it met all the specifications for an adequate light box (10,000 Lux and UVA/UVB protection), the great price, and its many great reviews on Amazon. Plus, it's made in the USA. Here is an excellent website for light box reviews.

I wear these Blue Blocker Glasses after 7:00 p.m. every night to block the blue light frequencies from indoor lighting, my computer, and the television screen. This enables me to still use those devices without disrupting my circadian rhythms.

I chose this brand for the price and because they wrap all the way around. Blue Blockers can be found anywhere from $5 - $100.

It takes two days of wearing these before a noticeable effect on sleep.

Advantage:
-I sleep!

Disadvantages:

-I have to wear these out at night, which makes me look shifty. This might be more of a problem if I were younger, had an active social life, and cared what people think. But at this point in my life I'd rather be able to sleep. I've read they make blue blocker contacts. That's something I will look into.

-If I skip wearing them one night it takes two days to catch up again.

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This article discusses my experience with my Light Box and Blue Blocker glasses, but it does not go into deep scientific detail on how and why they work. I have linked a host of scientific articles and study abstracts at the bottom. Also, here is an excellent book by a doctor from Columbia University's sleep clinic that goes into this subject in great detail. I am just sharing information. Nothing here should be construed as medical advice.

Book version Kindle version

With that said, I wonder why most doctors choose not to prescribe this system to their patients with insomnia?

Helpful website on this subject:

*This is not a sponsored post. Any profits earned from my Amazon.com affiliate links will be donated to Kiva, a not-for-profit micro-lending organization that makes no interest business loans to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world and in the United States.

13 comments:

This is so interesting! I've used a light box before during the winter months, but have never even heard of blue blocker glasses. I'm glad they're helping you out - thanks for sharing this! And I'm glad to see you "back!" :)

Congratulations on beating insomnia! As a very long term sufferer I understand completely! I was basically born with insomnia - not a day goes by where my parents don't remind me that I would only sleep in 20 minute intervals as a baby. However I now have a chronic illness and the last 3 years have been unbearable. I bought a lightbox last fall - the same one coincidentally - and although it helped, I wouldn't say it's been a cure. However I hadn't heard of these glasses. I think I will try them! Thanks for the info :-)Sent from the link up at Frugally Sustainable.

Hi Jeff. Thanks for coming by! I wish I were back more, but with the full time job now and having to share my home computer with 2 other people time is short.

Hi Tara. Wow, that is rough. Mine didn't onset until my teens. Insomnia does catch up with us in other ways eventually. I find if I just use the light or just use the glasses I don't get as good results; I have to use them both in morning evening cycles. I don't think this system is a cure because if I stop using it my insomnia come back, but it does throw it in remission as long as I use it (85% improvement). I also have a custom sleep hypnosis MP3 that a hypnotherapist friend made for me. If I wake up in the middle of the night I just put that on and I'm back to sleep fast, whereas before these things I'd just lay there all night.

I am so glad to hear that you have finally gotten peace at night! What a tough row to hoe you have had. I too wonder why the medical establishment are so unwilling to at least try these things - the total cost is within reach, and it is not like you have to set up a physics lab in your home to get the treatment in motion! Congratulations on your full-time job, too.

Hi Carol. Thank you! I think the CNN article explains the why pretty well. There is no money in it for them to recommend things like this. They are trained in pharmaceuticals, so that's what they do. But I think if insurance is only going to cover treatment from MDs then they have a responsibility to also offer non-pharma evidence based treatments, if for no other reason than some people, like me, for whatever reason, do not respond well to medication.

This is very informative! Yes, your posts may not be a professional medical advice, but since it worked for you, so guess there’s no harm in trying. I do hope many of your readers will benefit from your method. Thank you for sharing!

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About Me

I believe only once we seek health across all areas of life will we create a more sustainable, humane world. This blog explores topics in health across the gamut: mind, body, spirit, marketplace, environment, world. Cheers!